A wobbly wooden bridge is just that in many games: a way to get across a gap to the next destination. But in souls games, FromSoftware often uses these atmospheric flourishes for more devious purposes. Therefore, when Elden ring presented me with such an obstacle after a few moments of my new adventure that I could not help but hesitate.
Elden ring started with my character waking up in a building known as the Chapel of Anticipation. As I exited this chapel, I crossed a jagged ledge that I assume is somewhere across the game’s map. I say “assume” because the landscape is so obscured by a thick layer of fog that it’s hard to see what’s underneath. Wherever I was, it was very high, so high that a single slip would almost mean instant, screaming death if I fell out of sight.
A short jog later I reached the bridge, a sad little thing made of old, creaky wood that swayed gently in the sort of strong breeze you’d expect at this altitude. Ropes connected it to stakes driven deep into the rock, but something about the structure felt suspicious. Even dangerous. However, since the area around the Chapel of Anticipation was mostly peaceful, I had to ask myself: was the bridge actually spreading bad vibes, or was I just expecting one of FromSoftware’s devilish tricks?
While souls -Games are loved for their tough but rewarding combat, that doesn’t mean they don’t also contain some real bullshit set-pieces that are only meant to kill unsuspecting players. The earliest of these moments that I can remember was a parapet collapsing Koenigsfeld: The Ancient Citywhich drops you far enough to wipe you out if your health is below max, but it’s a trick FromSoftware almost pulls souls– as it puts it.
The most famous of these traps is probably the falling dragon in the original Dark Souls, which briefly lands on a castle wall and can catch you with its massive claws if you run ahead. It’s one of the earliest instances of the game, teaching you that foolhardiness can kill. Which immediately came to mind when I first saw it Elden ring Bridge however is a similar looking overpass in Dark Souls II. If you spend too long on it that bridge, a dragon destroys the path and knocks you down.
My mind raced with possibilities. I knew from previous previews that dragons existed in the world of Elden ring, but would FromSoftware really do something that gruesome just minutes after you were given control of your character? Something that would spawn too long tweet threads about game difficulty? Something that could lead to discourse (swallow)? I peered over the edge of the cliff. I scanned the horizon for any sign of some sort of flying monster preparing to rip my head off.
Finally I took my first tentative steps onto the planks floating over the great void below me. Nothing at all. A few more steps. Still nothing. Just before the middle of the bridge I sprinted to the other side. I arrived safely, albeit a little embarrassed at my hesitation. As a longtime fan of FromSoftware’s work, however, that learned trepidation is part of the fun. It feels like a conversation between player and developer, steeped in decades of history and experience. “If I just learn FromSoftware’s tendencies,” I tell myself, “they won’t catch me next time.”
And that’s when I realized: FromSoftware has already caught me. No, a dragon didn’t kill me and the bridge didn’t collapse, but the fact that I’m instilled with that kind of fear and sweat means something as simple as crossing a bridge Elden ringThe developers of have already won. My game years Koenigsfeld, shadow tower, demons souls, Dark Souls, bloodborneand Axe turned me into a Pavlovian dog, salivating at the idea of dying in a horrible trap, and what’s worse, I can’t help but love FromSoftware all the more for it. Those idiots.
